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Note: HI64
Note: (Research):Thomas James McKeand.
Note: Adopted father of the children Kay Avanelle (Dittemore) French. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FEDERAL POPULATION SCHEDULES
Census of 1900,
Census of 1910,
Census of 1920,
Census of 1930, Marion County, Indiana, Decatur Twp., Thomas J. McKeand (Age 35, b. IN., Head, Farm Laborer). NARA T626-606, Pg. 230B. E.D. 49-231, Line 95, Pg. 12B. {Date: Apr 17 1930} Note: Thomas J. McKeand owns his home/farm, he is a Veteran. Thomas J. lives on a farm and his valuation is $4500.00.
Census of 1940. Thomas J. McKeand. Respondent: Yes. Age: 44. Est. Birth Year: 1896. Gender: Male. Race: White. Birthplace: Indiana. Marital Status: Single. Relation: Head. Home in 1940: Mars Hill, Decatue Twp., Marion County, Indiana. Street: Blanket Bay Road. Farm: Yes. Farmer - Operator. Residence in 1935: Same House. Household Members: Name Age Bell M. McKeand. 80. Mother. Born: Indiana. Orval E. Scott. 40. Hired hand. Born: Indiana. Farm laborer. NARA T627-1075, Pg. 127A. Line 11, E.D. 49-10, Pg. 16A. {Date: Apr 16, 1940} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
Thomas James McKeand. County: Marion. State: Indiana. Birthplace: Indiana. Birth Date: 28 Sep 1895. Race: Caucasian (White). FHL Roll Number: 1653565. DraftBoard: 0. Date: Jun 5, 1917. Occupation: Machinist. Stenotype Company. Stenotype Plant, Mars Hill, In. Note: Draft registration has birth place as Scott County, Ind. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Thomas James McKeand was 25 Years, 7 Months, 25 Days older than Kay Avanelle (Dittemore) French when they were married.
Buried: Houston National Cemetery. Houston, Harris County, Texas. Address : 10410 Veterans Memorial Dr, Houston, TX 77038 McKeand, Thomas James, b. 09/28/1895, d. 06/19/1990, SFC U S ARMY, Plot: L 149, bur. 06/21/1990,
W. W. I Veteran, S. F. C., U. S. Army; Served with Gen. John J. Pershing's Army in the search for Pancho Villa (in Mexico), & served in New Mexico. He did not have to serve in the W. W. I campaign in Europe, he was stationed in the United States.
Thomas J. McKeand was a devout Mormon (LDS) in is later years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reference: History of My Life by Thomas James McKeand, Sr., Jan 1976.
Jan 1976. Note: I have found that it is rather difficult for an old man well past his allotted time to travel back over a rather long lifetime, pick up the pieces and place them in their proper order, so at best these following lines are just a sketch written from memory.
This is 1976 the bicentennial; the 200th birthday of our great nation. I am inspired to write a few lines to tell what I remember of the eighty one years of my life in this free land and I know that some of these things could be amusing and interesting to my children, grand children and all who care to read.
I was born in Jefferson County in southern Indiana Sept 28, 1895.
My Father James Highet McKeand (1852-1934). I know that I owe a debt of gratitude to a Father who was master of his home and family. When any of the boys needed a chastisement we got it. We all respected and honored our Father. I know that by his corrections we were all better prepared for living a better life on reaching adulthood.
My Mother Mary Bell Davidson (1856-1949). In paying tribute to a wonderful and lovely mother I am using a few words that a great President of these United States of America used to describe his mother: "All that I am, and all that I ever hope to be I owe to my mother" A. Lincoln. I well know that words can never describe and music is inadequate to tell of the love that a son has for his mother.
I was the fourth child in a family of five children. Older Brother Harry Highet McKeand Older Sister Clara Bell McKeand Older Sister Emma Pearl McKeand Younger Brother Hallse Dewey McKeand. In all the years that we spent together at home we never had a serious quarrel. It is a blessing to remember and pray for this kind of a family. They are all gone now, but my brother Dewy. I am looking forward to a great family reunion sometime in the near future.
My life span has covered almost eight of those ten decades of the last century of our country. So I have lived here from the time of the Ox Cart, Horse and Buggy way of traveling to Space Travel.
Dad began moving north a few miles at a time, and I do not know or remember all the different places we lived during those first five years of my life, but I do remember Waynesville and a tiny town south of Indianapolis where I went to school my first year for a few weeks, and where I got to see my first auto. It looked like the old time buggy. I was with my Dad at the time and he was driving a team of horses hitched to a farm wagon, and this horseless carriage frightened the horses so bad that it looked like they were going to get out of control and take off for the river bottoms.
When ten years of age, I decided that I was big enough to get manly and master the chewing tobacco habit. In those days we were on a chewing tobacco binge, and almost all the males, and a few females chewed tobacco. It took me two weeks to grow up and fully master this habit, and was sick everyday of those two weeks; it took me sixty four years to kick the habit, and on looking back over all those years, I was sick every day of that time.
After moving from Waynesville our next stop was Indianapolis where I missed another year of schooling. Dad's final move was to Maywood md some two miles from the city limits of Indianapolis, and this small town is now well within the city limits of this city.
Dad bought a home just across the road from the school where I received my first eight years education and also my first inoculations for Diphtheria and Small Pox. Those huge needles on those vials were rather frighting for an eight year old youngster and I would have taken off for some tall timber if the exit door had not been locked. After graduating from this two room school that contained all eight classes, I attended High School at Valley Mills, a small Quaker community some three miles from Maywood. That was back in the days when the Interurban Junction Line were coming into use, so I traveled on the Interurban as long as I could afford it, and then I would travel by shank's ponies, in other words, by walking.
"At this time public school was only 8 years. High school was like college, which means that the student had to pay to attend. I remember Papa Toms Lincoln Library Encyclopedias, it was only two large volumes. - Jerry"
This was one of the friendliest and best of all the schools that I ever attended. It was here that something happened to me that is unheard of today and in fact would be rather ridiculous. I a Freshman was appointed Captain of the Baseball team. We did not win any championships, but did win some games and also did quite well in track. I also played basketball on the first team. In those days basketball was played in the open and we often removed snow before game time. I attended Valley Mills school one school season, and then went to Ben Davis, a school from which I graduated in 1916
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